Portal:Rhode Island

The Rhode Island Portal

Rhode Island (/ˌroʊd -/ ^ⓘ ROHD) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Island Sound; and shares a small maritime border with New York, east of Long Island. Rhode Island is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly more than 1.1 million residents as of 2024^[update]. The state's population, however, has continually recorded growth in every decennial census since 1790, and it is the second-most densely populated state after New Jersey. The state takes its name from the eponymous island, though nearly all its land area is on the mainland. Providence is its capital and most populous city.

Native Americans lived around Narragansett Bay before English settlers began arriving in the early 17th century. Rhode Island was unique among the Thirteen British Colonies in having been founded by a refugee, Roger Williams, who fled religious persecution in the Massachusetts Bay Colony to establish a haven for religious liberty. He founded Providence in 1636 on land purchased from local tribes, creating the first settlement in North America with an explicitly secular government. The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations subsequently became a destination for religious and political dissenters and social outcasts, earning it the moniker "Rogue's Island".

Rhode Island was the first colony to call for a Continental Congress, in 1774, and the first to renounce its allegiance to the British Crown, on May 4, 1776. After the American Revolution, during which it was heavily occupied and contested, Rhode Island became the fourth state to ratify the Articles of Confederation, on February 9, 1778. Because its citizens favored a weaker central government, it boycotted the 1787 convention that had drafted the United States Constitution, which it initially refused to ratify; it finally ratified it on May 29, 1790, the last of the original 13 states to do so.

The state was officially named the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations since the colonial era but came to be commonly known as "Rhode Island". On November 3, 2020, the state's voters approved an amendment to the state constitution formally dropping "and Providence Plantations" from its full name. Its official nickname, found on its welcome sign, is the "Ocean State", a reference to its 400 mi (640 km) of coastline and the large bays and inlets that make up about 14% of its area. (Full article...)

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Governor Benedict Arnold grave medallion

Benedict Arnold (December 21, 1615 – June 19, 1678) was president and then governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving for a total of 11 years in these roles. He was born and raised in the town of Ilchester, Somerset, England, likely attending school in Limington nearby. In 1635 at age 19, he accompanied his parents, siblings, and other family members on a voyage from England to New England where they first settled in Hingham in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In less than a year, they moved to Providence Plantation at the head of the Narragansett Bay at the request of Roger Williams. In about 1638, they moved once again about five miles (8 km) south to the Pawtuxet River, settling on the north side at a place commonly called Pawtuxet (now Cranston). Here they had serious disputes with their neighbors, particularly Samuel Gorton, and they put themselves and their lands under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts, a situation which lasted for 16 years.

Arnold learned the Indian languages at an early age and became one of the two leading interpreters in the Rhode Island colony (Roger Williams being the other). He was frequently called upon to interpret during negotiations with the Indians, but they accused him of misrepresentation on one occasion. (Full article...)

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Pawtucket (/pəˈtʌkɪt/ ^ⓘ pə-TUK-it) is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 75,604 at the 2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence and East Providence to the south, Central Falls and Lincoln to the north, and North Providence to the west. The city also borders the Massachusetts municipalities of Seekonk and Attleboro.

Pawtucket was an early and important center of textile manufacturing. It is home to Slater Mill, a historic textile mill recognized for helping to found the Industrial Revolution in the United States. (Full article...)

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... that a Rhode Island TV station started out by re-running an inventory of 50 hours of cartoons and 14 old movies?
... that a Rhode Island TV station broadcast for 14 months and then was off the air for 26 years before returning?
... that three decades after chasing away surveyors for a previous railroad with guns, residents of Wickford, Rhode Island, built their own railroad?

Quotes related to Rhode Island

To me Newport could never be a place charming by reason of its own charm. That it is a very pleasant place when it is full of people, and the people are in spirits and happy, I do not doubt. But then the visitors would bring, as far as I am concerned, the pleasantness with them.

— Anthony Trollope

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Credit: User:Juliancolton

Misquamicut Beach is a beach that stretches 7 miles from Weekapaug in the east, westward to Watch Hill. Misquamicut is in southern Washington County and is part of the town of Westerly.

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The following are images from various Rhode Island-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Trustom Pond, a lagoon in South Kingstown (from Rhode Island)
Image 2The Block Island Wind Farm is the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 3The Rhode Island State House in Providence boasts the world's fourth largest self-supported marble dome. (from Rhode Island)
Image 4A southbound Northeast Regional train at Kingston Station (from Rhode Island)
Image 5Slater Mill in Pawtucket is cited as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the United States.
Image 6Rocky shoreline in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 7Many Rhode Islanders visit Washington County for its beaches (from Rhode Island)
Image 8The United States Naval Academy was moved to Fort Adams in Newport during the Civil War. (from Rhode Island)
Image 9The Pawtucket Red Sox played at McCoy Stadium (from Rhode Island)
Image 10The Block Island Wind Farm is the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 11Köppen climate types of Rhode Island, using 1991–2020 climate normals (from Rhode Island)
Image 12The Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge (foreground) and Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge (background)
Image 13In 1680, Newport was the third largest Anglo-American city. It remained a prosperous population center until the 1770s. (from Rhode Island)
Image 14Rocky shoreline in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 15Ninigret Pond National Wildlife Refuge (from Rhode Island)
Image 16The East Bay Bike Path in Riverside
Image 17Providence Revolutionaries burned HMS Gaspee in Warwick in protest of British customs laws. (from Rhode Island)
Image 18Trustom Pond, a lagoon in South Kingstown (from Rhode Island)
Image 19The Pawtucket Red Sox played at McCoy Stadium (from Rhode Island)
Image 20University Hall at Brown University is one of the oldest academic buildings in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 21Topographic map of Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)
Image 22The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority operates a statewide system of bus transport. (from Rhode Island)
Image 23University of Rhode Island's Meade Stadium in Kingston (from Rhode Island)
Image 24Topographic map of Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)
Image 25Slater Mill in Pawtucket is cited as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the United States.
Image 26In 1936, on the 300th anniversary of the settlement of Rhode Island in 1636, the U.S. Post Office issued a commemorative stamp, depicting Roger Williams (from Rhode Island)
Image 27County results of the 2024 Presidential election. Kamala Harris (D) won every county, though she won Kent County by a narrow margin of 1.9% (from Rhode Island)
Image 28A nine-pence banknote issued by Rhode Island in 1786 (from Rhode Island)
Image 29In 1936, on the 300th anniversary of the settlement of Rhode Island in 1636, the U.S. Post Office issued a commemorative stamp, depicting Roger Williams (from Rhode Island)
Image 301884 Baseball Champion Providence Grays (from Rhode Island)
Image 31University Hall at Brown University is one of the oldest academic buildings in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 32County results of the 2024 Presidential election. Kamala Harris (D) won every county, though she won Kent County by a narrow margin of 1.9% (from Rhode Island)
Image 33Köppen climate types of Rhode Island, using 1991–2020 climate normals (from Rhode Island)
Image 34A southbound Northeast Regional train at Kingston Station (from Rhode Island)
Image 35Downtown Providence in 2008 (from Rhode Island)
Image 36Touro Synagogue in Newport is the oldest existing synagogue building in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 37Touro Synagogue in Newport is the oldest existing synagogue building in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 38The International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 39The Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge (foreground) and Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge (background)
Image 40Providence Revolutionaries burned HMS Gaspee in Warwick in protest of British customs laws. (from Rhode Island)
Image 41Interior of The Breakers, a Newport symbol of the Gilded Age (from Rhode Island)
Image 421884 Baseball Champion Providence Grays (from Rhode Island)
Image 43Ethnic origins in Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)
Image 44Map of Rhode Island, showing major cities and roads (from Rhode Island)
Image 45In 1636, Roger Williams and his followers founded the settlement of Providence Plantations. (from Rhode Island)
Image 46The Rhode Island State House in Providence boasts the world's fourth largest self-supported marble dome. (from Rhode Island)
Image 47A nine-pence banknote issued by Rhode Island in 1786 (from Rhode Island)
Image 48The Towers are a Narragansett landmark. (from Rhode Island)
Image 49The International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 50In 1636, Roger Williams and his followers founded the settlement of Providence Plantations. (from Rhode Island)
Image 51Map of Rhode Island, showing major cities and roads (from Rhode Island)
Image 52The United States Naval Academy was moved to Fort Adams in Newport during the Civil War. (from Rhode Island)
Image 53In 1680, Newport was the third largest Anglo-American city. It remained a prosperous population center until the 1770s. (from Rhode Island)
Image 54The Towers are a Narragansett landmark. (from Rhode Island)
Image 55Interior of The Breakers, a Newport symbol of the Gilded Age (from Rhode Island)
Image 56Ninigret Pond National Wildlife Refuge (from Rhode Island)
Image 57University of Rhode Island's Meade Stadium in Kingston (from Rhode Island)
Image 58The East Bay Bike Path in Riverside
Image 59Rhode Island population density map (from Rhode Island)
Image 60Ethnic origins in Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)
Image 61Rhode Island population density map (from Rhode Island)
Image 62Many Rhode Islanders visit Washington County for its beaches (from Rhode Island)
Image 63The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority operates a statewide system of bus transport. (from Rhode Island)
Image 64Downtown Providence in 2008 (from Rhode Island)

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Credit: User:ReneS

The Newport Bridge spanning the Narragansett Bay

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This is a list of recognized content, updated weekly by JL-Bot (talk · contribs) (typically on Saturdays). There is no need to edit the list yourself. If an article is missing from the list, make sure it is tagged or categorized (e.g. Category:WikiProject Rhode Island articles) correctly and wait for the next update. See WP:RECOG for configuration options.